She’s a Wow!

Here’s a recreation/reinterpretation of the cover of Wow Comics #12, featuring Mary Marvel. You can compare it with the original here.

Mary debuted in Captain Marvel Adventures #18, where Billy Batson discovered to his surprise that he had a twin sister, from whom he’d been separated at birth. It turned out that the magic word that turned Billy into Captain Marvel also worked to turn Mary Batson/Bromfield into the superpowered Mary Marvel.

Mary’s “visual father” was artist Marc Swayze. I was honored to be asked to do an FCA cover featuring Mary, as a tribute to Marc Swayze for what would’ve been his 100th birthday. It was posted here a while back.

Regular visitors to this site have heard me say before that when doing these recreations, I like to have some kind of fresh take or approach, so that I’m not just repeating exactly what was done before. So imagine this, if you can: some alternate world, where Fawcett didn’t cease publishing comics. Instead, they kept on producing new four-color adventures for Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family. Maybe at some point in the late ’50s or early ’60s, Fawcett licensed Mary to an animation studio for a series, and Wow Comics was relaunched in support. It was kind of what was playing in the back of my mind when I did this, at any rate.

I can almost hear the announcer’s voice: “Boys and Girls! It’s time now for the adventures of Mary Marvel! The Shazam girl!“

5 Responses to She’s a Wow!

Terrific work, Mark (as usual). Makes me want to see such an animated series, and read a revived WOW COMICS, and… Well, we can dream, can’t we? One of these times, I’d kind of like to see your take on a meeting of Mary with her opposite number, the black-costumed Mary Marvel. Or perhaps a Mary vs. Georgia Sivana cover. Or a team-up with Bulletgirl. I know that you don’t like to repeat your themes, but it might be worthy of consideration. I can never get enough of seeing Mary Marvel.

Thanks, John! I’m glad you like this take on Mary.
It’s funny, because I hadn’t really drawn Mary a whole lot until more recently. But the more I do it, the more fun I find she is to draw. I think maybe it’s something about the bright, upbeat, optimistic quality of the character. It’s safe to say this probably won’t be the last time she shows up on my site.